Experiences of a Kildare Mojo Participant

Presented at Mojo Celebration Celbridge July 28 2016
Over the last twelve weeks I have worked with the men on this course at learning new ways to manage my own life and live with the depression that I do, but more than that finding very natural ways to cope, and finding ways to manage and deal with crisis such as panic attacks, all things that last year had become far too prevalent in my life, and had a stranglehold upon me.
The very natural ways of helping have left me with a joy for looking at the future, which is based upon my confidence that I can reach back into the different sections of this course at anytime to find the different types of help I need in various areas in which I’m affected …..
I didn’t know what to expect embarking upon it and I will freely admit that on the first day I turned up and thought ” what the Fuck am I doing here ??” …….
The strangest thing happened on the first day, I got empowered, as we sat there the people running the course pointed out that we were in charge, and we wrote an agreement / contract which we all stuck religiously to for three months, it had the strangest impact upon me, it made me feel that I had a positive impact upon my surroundings, and with immediate effect, my spirits lifted …..
And it has remained that way for twelve weeks, twelve weeks with a bunch of strangers that will be in my heart forever, beautiful people who I know wouldn’t mind me saying that all shared the common theme that we were damaged in some way …..
But this course didn’t examine the damage, what it examines is how we manage our lives on a daily basis with the view to leading a fulfilling and rewarding life ……
It educated a wellness recovery action plan (wrap), and life planning on day two every week ,
It gave me twelve weeks also of education in how to navigate the services available, and very many services sent representatives to speak or lecture direct with our class from addiction services to citizens advice, from guidance counselling to meditation, every single week somebody came from a service and gave one to one advice subsequently to everyone who needed it, and has given me a framework of services in which I can explore moves that I may wish to make, and I am grateful for that because I was ignorant of most of those services , …….
Over the course I lost a dear friend to suicide, and it was ironic as suicide is something that had touched everybody on this course in some way, becoming one of the unifying factors as all of us had been identified and chosen as men at risk….
From the bottom of my heart I would like to thank the mojo group who put all this together, Niamh, Patrick, Elaine, Derek …….
And all the supporting services who have gone that extra little mile to help men identified with difficulties, when we have gone to services and mentioned we have come from the mojo course the welcome we have received has been heartening, the difference they have made to us might seem like something small to them, but believe me, it has had a profound effect on the lives of the men on the course …..
Also this is the first educational adventure I have undertaken since I left school, and small as it may seem, means a hell of a lot to me at my age ……
And hopefully it will lead to other doors for me ….

Mojo is a training programme for men who are in distress and affected by employment issues.